Starting over again — again

Tony Sump returns as board president of Lansing Civic Players

The billboard outside the firehouse that is home to theLansing Civic Players’ offices is still touting “A Family Christmas”and “Richard III: A Steampunk Musical.”

But don’t bother making reservations: Neither show will be produced, at least not this season.

They are the latest in a series of LCP cancellations(including “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” “Misery,” “Mrs. Warren’sProfession,” “A Shot in the Dark” and “North Star, May I Help You?:Santa’s Call Center”) that have raised questions about the direction —and the future — of the 82-year-old institution, the oldest communitytheater company in Lansing.

Tony Sump, who returned as president of the LCP board twoweeks ago, replacing Oralya Garza, is quick to acknowledge thetheater’s troubles.

“The last thing I want to do is cancel a production,”Sump said. “It’s tough to put it out there that you’re doing somethingand then you have to tell people it’s not gonna happen. In my opinion,the organization needs to rebuild community trust.”

That’s the goal he plans to achieve with the assistanceof fellow board members and theater veterans Joe Dickson, BrittneyBenjamin and Laura Croff-Wheaton.

“It’s about time we put on some good stuff for the community,” Sump said.

His first step has been to scale down the season. LCPwill produce two shows next spring: “Checking Out,” an original scriptby Sarah Hauck (March 15-25), and “Vino Veritas,” a black comedy byDavid McGregor that had its world premiere at Purple Rose Theatre in2008 (April 12-20).

As for the steampunk “Richard III,” Sump said, “Oralya isstill writing it. I heard there was a lot of community backlash aboutthe concept of that play, but it was pretty amazing. When I heard theycanceled it, I was pretty disappointed. She’s a wonderful writer and Ihope she finishes it someday so we can see it performed.”

(Garza declined to be interviewed forthis story, but said in a message that she wanted “to give Tony everyopportunity for success with LCP, and part of LCP’s problem has beentoo many voices wanting to move the (organization) into too manydirections or to hold it completely still. Tony has the vision for the(organization) now — I think I can be most useful to him by keeping myyap shut.”)

It’s not the first time LCP has had tomake major changes midway through a season. In November 2010, shortlyafter “Profession” and “Shot” were taken off the schedule, then-boardpresident Bob Metzger announced LCP was going on hiatus while “astrategic growth, collaboration and reorganization plan” was put intoplace “to ensure (LCP’s) long-term sustainability and success.”

Sump, who had preceded Metzger as boardpresident, praised his successor as someone who “really tried to builda professional board of director to help realign the organization.”

Sump served as a consultant late lastyear while Metzger assembled a nine-member steering committee chargedwith “putting together what the next step would be,” Sump said. “I hadbeen driving home that we needed at least two seasons to remain dark,to sell the building, find a new home for costume shop, then relaunchthe organization with a new volunteer base.”

During Sump’s previous term as boardpresident, LCP concentrated on what was called Lansing Civic PlayersUnderground, a series of modestly budgeted productions that Sump saidwere about “using the entire buffalo: Let’s use what we have to put ona scalable season we know we can do well.”

However, the board decided thatcontinuing the Underground program wouldn’t bring in the kind ofrevenue the organization was looking for. They wanted a full season ofproductions.

“I had objected, as had a couple ofpeople on the steering committee,” Sump said. “I said, ‘I don’t thinkwe have the stamina to put on a full season yet.’ And that turned outto be true.”

In September, LCP opened Charles Busch’scomedy “The Divine Sister,” its first show since the hiatus, at theHannah Community Center in East Lansing. The venue was a last-minutechoice after the Hill Center turned out to be unworkable due to whatSump calls “roof issues and functional issues.”

LCP’s last production was a staging of “Arsenic and OldLace” in October, also at the Hannah Community Center. “There was notmuch a turnout,” Sump said. “From what I understand, they were able tobreak even, but as far as numbers and people in the seats they couldhave done much better at the box office.”

The cost of renting out the community center also cutinto profits; “Checking Out” and “Vino Veritas” are scheduled to playat the Curry Street Theatre in Lansing, a former community and seniorcenter LCP is leasing from the city.

As for the firehouse location on Michigan Avenue, whichwas being eyed by an undisclosed buyer earlier this year, Sump said itis back on the market, with an asking price of $329,000.

With a little time before “Checking Out” goes intoproduction, Sump said LCP will be “focusing on getting support andvolunteers,” including technical help from Web-savvy people who canupdate the LCP website on a timely basis. Associations with other areatheaters are also being considered, as are more outreach activitieslike LCP’s program at Everett High School to teach drama.

“I think our goal is to do the right thing: to standbehind our directors who are standing behind the organization and tostand behind the actors appearing in these shows. We’re going back tothe fundamentals of why we’re here and why we’re doing theater.”

At least, Sump said, LCP has a nest egg. “There is money,not a ton, but enough. Now it’s just using it wisely. But we’re inpretty good shape.”

The most important factor, he said, is to ensure that LCP endures.

“I don’t want to see an organization that’s almost 83years old fizzle out on my watch,” Sump said. “Even if it’s operatingin a different way, it’s still existing. It doesn’t have to be puttingon giant shows — if it’s three shows and a costume shop, that’s what itis.”